Safety | Protect Your Hearing

Say What? We don’t often worry about our hearing until later in life, but according to the CDC, at least 10 million adults in the U.S. (6 percent of the population) under age 70 – and perhaps as many as 40 million adults (24 percent) – may have hearing loss from noise in one or both ears. 1 This may seem surprising, but hearing loss because of noise can happen in many ways. When you do think of noise-induced hearing loss, we often assume it occurs from a one-time event, like being too close to the stage at a concert. However, most noise-induced hearing loss does not occur because of a one-time occurrence. It slowly affects us over time withmuch warning. Once you damage your hearing, you can’t fix it. Luckily though, there are actions we can all take to prevent noise induced hearing loss. Three key steps can help protect your hearing according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: lower the volume, move away, and wear hearing protectors. These steps are simple